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The top secret, hush hush present has landed at it's destination so I can now share all.

You know how rubbish I am at cards? How absolutely I hate and detest doing them? Well, for once I was supremely happy with myself at the one I made for Gail's birthday. I had got it in to my head that she liked Ray Winstone. No, not only liked him, she luuuurved him, she wanted to maaaaaarry him... and then I discover a picture of Mr Winstone all tied up. Ooh - kinky! Gail will love that I thinks.

Tra laaaaaa! One card I'm very happy and smug about later...Gratuitous, Cooper trying to get in the picture shot!

Cue a bemused text from said kinky Gail... wondering (very nicely) why the heck I sent a card with Mr Winstone all tied up on it! Ah! How do I get these things in my head? How? I know not. I mean, Ray Winstone is a bit random innit? Not something you would just pluck out of the air... unless you were me! It gave us a giggle anyway!

Still, at least I seem to have got it right with the handmade part of her present. You all know Gail is the Queen of ninja hugs right? She gives the best ones - instant feel good factor. So I thought I would return the favour and make her a ninja hug for her wrist.Thanks as always everyone for stopping by :)

I think Virginia has started something. It's great thinking of the positives in the week just gone, rather than dwelling on maybe not so nice things.

So without further ado, what's been rocking my world this week?

Unexpected surprises in the mail.

Thank you Gail, naughty woman - it's was her birthday yesterday and she is sending ME a happy parcel. I seriously can't wait to dive into those books. Naughty cross-stitch, a book based on a Brothers Grimm tale and a book about werewolves. She knows me so well!

Happy, painty, messiness

Been having so much fun with these, making graffiti backgrounds!

The True Blood/SookieStackhouse novels.

I'm whipping through them, just about to start the third one. Pure escapism - can see these being very well read favourites! Best bit - Bill is popping into my head just as he looks in the TV programme! How well cast was he? Eric - meh! Not so much.

Ninja Beads

That's right! NINJA. BEADS. I can say no more at the moment. Top secret, hush, hush, hopefully just until tomorrow. Suffice to say, go, run now to Lilley on Etsy and fall in love with her teeny tiny creations. One amazing seller who helped me out no end this week. I love these little fellas SO much.

Last but by no means least...

Bloggy Friends

Those I've met, those I hope to meet one day and those I will never get the chance to see in 'real life.' You are all true friends and you've been amazing. It's weird and kind of sad to think that if I hadn't started blogging I wouldn't have met most of you amazing people. So I wont dwell on that because blog I did and I count myself truly lucky to know each and every one of you.

Thank you as always for popping by - and if you want to post about what rocked your world this week, be sure and let Virginia know. And tell her to make a button ;)

p.s Ooooh yay! Another happy thing this week. Jackie has just posted and she liked her Alice parcel! Whoop, whoop!

Virginia had a great idea full of positiveness this week. She posted a list of what was rocking her world. So I thought I would do the same - Maggi does something similar with her Friday Night Fab Five. It's great to see what other people are into at the moment so I thought I would have a go too...

What's Rocking My World This Friday *cough* Saturday!

Hand made birthday/Mothers day presents ~ *Beware the naughty word in the picture below* These gifts just made my month. They really did, the thought and effort and love that goes into a hand made gift makes them priceless to me. I just love them and I will treasure them forever.

(Cross stitch from Gail, Alice/Alice altered book from Virginia and paper posie from my lovely Phoebe)

Daffodils ~ My little town is undergoing 'regeneration.' A couple of years ago they put in a new road & traffic light system leading to the new bridge off the Island. When they started re-planting the grass along the side of the road they planted hundreds and hundreds of those little mini daffodils. Now come spring every year the bank and verge along that bit of road is a riot of yellow. I pass it every day when I take the kids to school. It makes me smile. It makes me think of my Mum.

Model Behaviour ~ Ruby has always loved the camera. But the last couple of weeks her and Devvie have been practising posing and now it's her new favourite hobby... apart from bursting into song and dance in the middle of shops that is.

What a pout! She makes me laugh so much!

And this is her "Yo Mama, I can dress myself, don't mess with me, Dora jammiesso go with sparkly trainers" look.

But I love capturing her naturally ;)

Graffiti Chic ~ Yay! Just signed up to this class. And until the 21st (tomorrow) there is $10 off the course price! (Check out her blog section for details.) GBP wise that works out at £27.34 for the class. Can't wait to start and even better Maggi is doing it too so we can be the naughty giggly girls at the back of the class together! Whoo!Baby Plum Tomatoes ~ Bought some in our local greengrocers this week. OMG they were deliciously sweet, We've gone through three punnets already. We are just eating them like sweeties, Ruby can't leave the kitchen without a small bowl of them.Yum!Sparkly Copics ~ You read that right SPARKLY Copics! I won some in Sally's Blog Giveaway! I never knew there was such a thing, I can't wait to get my grubby mitts on them.Check her out, not only is she lovely but she has a different giveaway each week.

Loooookee, look, look what the postman handed over yesterday. Virginia had told me she'd been working on a birthday present for lilol' me. She didn't warn me that it would make me blub!

Imagine my surprise when I opened up my parcel to find this beautiful altered book. In the words of Virginia herself, she "mixed Disney with Tim Burton, the original book, Sir John Tenniel illustrations and not just a little bit of Alice Cooper."

Prepare for lots of piccies, my (lack of) photography skills do not do it justice one little bit, I've washed out the gorgeous rich colours again... Virginia took some MUCH better ones before she posted, please go see :)

The front cover... oooh!

The caterpillar... and is that Alice peeking over... or is it Alice?

Love the Alicified Rabbit *g*

I now own some of Virginia's signature tattooed ladies *yay*

The back cover.

Isn't it glorious? What I haven't managed to capture in these pictures is the amount of layers that have gone into every page - the textures are so lush and strokable. Alice lyrics will never be so brilliantly used EVER again. I can't even begin to imagine how long this must have taken. Can you believe that Virginia says this is her first altered book??

Look what Phoebe presented me with today :) She had been making them all week in Breakfast Club. Most beautiful bunch of flowers ever? Please check out her bloggy blog - she did a tut on them *proud Mummy alert*

Freshly baked lemon cake and chocolates from Craig and the girls are the order of the day. Much numminess.

I can't contain my excitement any more so thought I would blog what I made for this swap.

Jackie ~ DO NOT LOOK AT THIS POST until you have received your parcel. Do not peep. Go away NOW!

Is she gone? Good.

I have to thank Maggi for hosting such a fun swap. She paired me with the talented Jackie whose blog I will now be stalking for a long while to come. I seriously cannot wait for my parcel to arrive. Poor postie is having the door flung open before he can even knock of a morning - think he may be developing a weak heart.

I know Jackie's favourite Alice character is the Queen of Hearts so you may see a theme developing here. Never let it be said I'm not one to latch on to something and run with it...

This is the first 'proper' bracelet I've made, really enjoyed it and went with a heart theme rather than attaching any characters to it as I thought Jackie might get more wear-ability out of it that way.

(I must just say a massive thank you to Pink Poppy for her getting started tips and encouragement with bracelet making. She's brilliant and a big help!)

Next I wanted to make a tissue holder. I was thinking it would take a matter of minutes on the sewing machine but have nobbled the beast somehow, now the bobbin casing keeps falling out. So this was all hand stitched which I am quite pleased with as am most definitely not a sewer of any kind. (Yet!) Please Jackie just don't go inspecting the stitching. That's a Queen of Heart charm dangling off the bottom there as she was depicted in the Disney film. It's not a bell as my lot keep saying it is.

(Sorry - terrible piccy. It is actually very dark black & a deep red)

Next - I had to do a duckie didn't I? Please say hello to the Mad Hatter Duckie. I love his hat which was cunningly made with loo roll holder, paper napkins, oodles of decopatch glue and some fabric paint. Voila. Very Art Attack, no?...and of course he had to have his cup & saucer and teapot charms ready for the party.My last item was very last minute. I had been trying to make a pop-up box but it kinda popped up a bit too much and popped out, collapsing everywhere. So in a tizzy I looked up and what did I see? The bottled Mojo that Paige had made me. Then I remembered Maggi's Alice in a jar and had a light bulb moment. So this is Pin Cushion Head Queen of Hearts in a jar... No it is not a mouthful at all. I added to the box some heart pins to stick in Queenie, some chocolate, (2nd time lucky - we ate her first lot! Oops!) some bamboo crochet hooks which I really hope Jackie hasn't gone and bought herself already. I also printed off a truly fabulous Cheshire Cat paper doll template & instructions for her to have a play with.I hope you enjoy your box Jackie as much as I had fun putting it together. Thank you again Maggi for hosting the swap and doing such an amazing job.

And thank you as always my loyal readers for popping by and taking a peep!